Occupancy detection (e.g., determining whether an area is occupied by one or more individuals) can be an important part of energy management, especially home energy management. For example, the energy management settings of an area (e.g., a room in a house) can be adjusted based on whether or not an individual(s) is presently located in the area, thereby reducing and/or eliminating the waste of energy resulting from heating and/or cooling unoccupied areas.
There are many different approaches for detecting occupancy. For example, motion detectors, such as, for instance, passive infrared (PIR) detectors, can be used as occupancy detectors. However, motion detectors such as PIR detectors may not be able to accurately detect occupancy when an occupant has remained relatively still and/or motionless for an extended period of time (e.g., when the occupant is sleeping). Further, motion detectors such as PIR detectors may not be able to accurately detect occupancy in areas having a geometry and/or object(s) (e.g., walls, furniture, etc.) that create a blind spot(s) for (e.g., a location(s) in an area not visible to) the motion detector(s).
Cameras and/or radio tags can also be used to detect occupancy. However, cameras and/or radio tags may violate the privacy of an occupant(s). Further, cameras may not be able to accurately detect occupancy in low-light conditions.